Kirstie M. Farrar, PhD Biography

Title:

Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Connecticut

Position:

Pro
to the question
"Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence?"

Reasoning:

“In the context of a violent video game using a gun controller, not only do people see guns on screen paired with violence (the double whammy), they are also holding and firing a realistic looking firearm (the triple whammy)…

[W]e conclude that violent video games are a risk factor capable of contributing to aggression. Additionally, this research suggests that playing a realistic first-person shooter game with a firearm controller may be quite worthy of concern as a possible triple whammy risk factor for developing aggressive knowledge structures and, potentially, subsequent aggressive behavior…

This finding is of concern, given that guns play a leading role in the majority of today’s most popular videogames and the industry has introduced hundreds of control devices that mimic the look, feel, and action of real-life firearms.”

Cowritten with Rory McGloin and Joshua Fishlock, “Triple Whammy! Violent Games and Violent Controllers: Investigating the Use of Realistic Gun Controllers on Perceptions of Realism, Immersion, and Outcome Aggression,” Journal of Communication, Apr. 2015

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